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The most concise summary of why the US should adopt the Metric System is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system#/media/File:Metric_system_adoption_map.svg

by knz 10y ago

The most concise summary of why the US should adopt the Metric System is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system#/media/File:Metric_system_adoption_map.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system#/media/File:Metr... If the metric system had no value then the map would be reversed. It's already here being used by many industries, almost every other country has adopted it (to varying degrees), and there is a cost to not adopting it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_dollar#Introduction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_dollar#Introductio... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_New_Zealand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_New_Zealand

asher_ 10y ago
While it's a no-brainer that the US should adopt metric, that map isn't the reason. The same argument could have been made against adopting metric when it was first invented. The reason that it should be adopted is simply because it's a far simpler system to use and understand. Units of measurement have simple relationships with other units, and there are standard prefixes. I actually find it quite sad. Not being able to think about these things in a simple way makes learning much much harder for children, and even for adults there is no way someone using imperial measurements can perform operations anywhere near as quickly or easily as someone using metric. This is especially true of unit conversions. Not using metric makes you ostensibly dumber. For many of us outside the US, the continued use of imperial measurements is thought of as akin to eschewing cars in favour of horse drawn carriages. For those in the US, how it is viewed from the inside? I wonder how much this reason alone is responsible for comparatively poor results of the US in science education. It's obviously far from the whole reason, but I can't help but think that young kids would be turned off learning all of these esoteric and arbitrary rules.

by knz 10y ago

asher_ 10y ago

While it's a no-brainer that the US should adopt metric, that map isn't the reason. The same argument could have been made against adopting metric when it was first invented. The reason that it should be adopted is simply because it's a far simpler system to use and understand. Units of measurement have simple relationships with other units, and there are standard prefixes. I actually find it quite sad. Not being able to think about these things in a simple way makes learning much much harder for children, and even for adults there is no way someone using imperial measurements can perform operations anywhere near as quickly or easily as someone using metric. This is especially true of unit conversions. Not using metric makes you ostensibly dumber. For many of us outside the US, the continued use of imperial measurements is thought of as akin to eschewing cars in favour of horse drawn carriages. For those in the US, how it is viewed from the inside? I wonder how much this reason alone is responsible for comparatively poor results of the US in science education. It's obviously far from the whole reason, but I can't help but think that young kids would be turned off learning all of these esoteric and arbitrary rules.